JUDY DURANT

Nestled among a canopy of mature trees, “Cedar Grove”, the circa 1820 country farmhouse of Judy and Griff Durant, is the background of this Hemerocallis Display Garden. Situated on three acres, numerous cedar trees line the meandering driveway leading to the house which shows transition between Early Republic Style and Greek Revival Style. The house was occupied by the Union troops during the Battle of Mechanicsville.

Their home for the past 34 years, the garden has matured with a different beauty at each season. Azaleas, viburnum, wisteria and flowering bulbs fill the garden with color and scent in the spring. The grounds include unusual shrubs, and flowering garden borders. They have endeavored to incorporate annuals and perennials, which include over 200 different varieties of irises and over 900 different varieties of daylilies, among specimen trees and unique shrubbery throughout the garden, connecting each bed by means of pathways and whimsical decorations. Guests are encouraged to enjoy a stroll in the garden through the series of garden rooms which have been carved out of these mature plantings. These garden rooms include Little Pink Key Garden, Sun & Moon Garden, Purple Garden with its island of daylilies, perennials and shrubs, Iris Sanctuary, Azalea Garden, Crepe Myrtle Allee, Pocket Garden, Herb Garden and Fairy Moss Garden to name a few. Mulched pathways lead past woodland plantings of rhododendrons, dogwoods and azaleas while a formal rose garden features roses of the period of the home. A cedar twig pergola, handcrafted by Griff, provides shade for dining and the twig gazebo, also handmade by Griff, provide opportunities to pause and enjoy the peaceful setting. New Dawn roses cover the handmade pergola leading into the “Cutting Garden”. The Potting Shed, designed and fashioned by Griff from material from the slave quarters once located on the property, is nestled alongside their historical daylily bed. A Boxwood and Daylily Garden surround the old Dairy. Trees of interest include Contorted Filbert, Glory Bauer, Chionanthus, Golden Chain Tree, Sweet Bay Magnolia, Golden Rain Tree, Star Magnolia, Sapium japonicum, Cedrus Deodora, Buck Eye, China Fir, Kentucky Coffee, Paulownia Kawakamii and Hemlocks among many others. Cedar Grove is a registered Wildlife Backyard Habitat.